Precious GEMM
by Kitsuko
Summary: When Severus Snape first heard of the latest fad G.E.M.M.s, he thought it'd be like every other fad: He would never have any part in it. Unfortunetly, a certain someone is set out to see that Severus is not only part of this fad, but does it on his own.
1. Special Sale

**Note**: This is a story I've been working on for a while, and uh….well, **I need a Beta** for it So, anyone who wants to beta for me….puppy eyes Please! I'll give you a virtual cookie!

"**G.E.M.M" is pronounce 'jem' okay? Good**. Severus might be a bit OOC but, please stay with me here, the only person who can truly get into his head is J.K. no matter how evil she is.

**This is AU. **Moldyshorts and what will be dealt with (maybe) later Though he is mostly dead, thanks to Longbottom

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Many would think that it was through sheer curiosity that I entered that stupid store, but contrary to popular belief it was because _he_ forced me it.

"You are far to secluded from the world, Severus, down there in your dungeons. I think you need some companionship!"

At least he'd had the capacity to call them _my_ dungeons, which they were…..technically, anyway. It wasn't like _other_ people came down to visit me, or chat about the latest gossip. If they did, they left quite quickly, for fear of their life. Which I prided myself on, and here _he_ was, trying to force a….a…. 'companion' on me!

"Come on Severus, hurry up! I want you in here so we can look around!"

"Whatever, Headmaster." I grumbled as I stepped into that dreadful shop.

The whole place had a peculiar smell about it. Unlike any other 'companion' shop I'd ever been in. It didn't smell like unclean cages, or stale air mixed with stale animal scents, no it smelled like something I'd only had the _pleasure_ of smelling once before in my lifetime: clean babies.

"Welcome, good Sirs, to my humble shop! I'm sure you've heard all about my wonderful G.E.M.M.s by now; there are very few people who haven't!" The short, grey haired man said with a bright smile plastered to his face. I tried my very hardest to not strike him for it, but the impulse was quite great, mind, I should have gotten a medal for my self control.

"Oh, heavens yes! My students have been gabbing all about it during their free time! It's very hard not to hear about who's G.E.M.M. can run faster or fly higher or swim deeper than everyone else's; it's quite infectious! I don't believe I've ever heard a happier bunch of students in all my years, I must thank you for it!" Dumbledore gushed, his eyes ablaze with that damnable twinkle. "Isn't that right, Severus?"

My eyes went wide with the sudden change of attentions. I'd been trying to sneak back out, and hide in an apothecary or some other distasteful place Dumbledore wouldn't wander. Having been once again dragged into something I didn't want to be in, I threw on my harshest sneer and my most sarcastic voice. "Of course, headmaster, when are the delightful creatures more happy?"

The shop owner blushed with modesty, or something equally gushy. "Oh, you're just saying that." He brushed an invisible fold out of his blue robes. "But, you know, I originally had only my daughter in mind when I started creating them….she was always getting into mischief or something unpleasant and I wanted to make a friend for her who could keep her happy without any harmful side effects, you know how it is."

Dumbledore nodded emphatically. "Oh, don't I ever! My students are always trying to break into something just to see what's on the other side! I'd probably drive myself crazy with worry if I didn't know that I had such responsible people caring for them!"

I grumbled under my breath at that. "Not that you haven't already done that."

"What was that, Severus?" Dumbledore asked with a small smile.

"Nothing."

"Oh, well," The shop owner said, suddenly seeing a customer who needed help. "I should let you get back to browsing! Call me if you need some help, my name's Levi!"

The Headmaster nodded and smiled politely. "I will if a problem arises."

I chose this moment to see if I couldn't at least lose the old coot in the shop, maybe sneak out later. The whole store looked ever more like a weird mad scientist dungeon from one of those cheap muggle books I was fascinated with in my younger years. Odd cages hung here and there, with shining, eager eyes peering out at the world, large signs attached to some of the cages announced that these were 'sale' beings.

A few blank looking creatures stood up against any spare piece of wall, or sat on any bare surface, small signs in their laps or hanging from their necks stated the model, and price. I looked over a few of the more human ones, letting my eyes linger over each one with a very well hidden awe at their perfection. I noticed a rather large, loud looking sign near the counter.

_Can't find something to your liking? We do CUSTOM models! Prices as low as 79 galleons! _

I blinked. Custom. Not only could you personalize the creature's behaviors, you could customize their appearance. I looked around a bit more, noticing that different specialized foods and things were also available. I shivered slightly at the very normal way in which the electric 'control' collar was being displayed. Learning through physical pain was not, as some people seemed to believe, my favorite mode of teaching.

"Genetic Engineering through Magical Means." The thought that muggle technology had helped create these creatures that brought such joy to the spoiled brats only fueled my ever growing distrust of these things.

Dumbledore seemed to have found a quaint looking Scottish terrier to play with, the creature seemed to be able to work it's way around speech, as Dumbledore was chattering about which type of sock he thought would have a longer life as a chew toy, not that he was having much problem holding up his end of the discussion.

I turned away, annoyed for some reason that stayed well out of reach of my logic. Maybe it was the fact that I'd been dragged here or maybe it was the fact that I was being ignored by the one who had forced this _torture_ upon my person.

In my annoyance I had wandered through to the back of the shop, where the few creatures around me gave off a sickly need to be loved. I looked around uneasily. There were no other customers near me so I settled down on some rather comfortable looking lounges.

I didn't notice the small boy sitting curled up on the one I was not sitting on until he moved to pull himself away from me. I looked curiously at him.

"Hello." I said my voice flat and emotionless. "You look like you're lost. Do you want me to get someone to find your family?" And that he did. The boy wore clothes that seemed to belong to several different people, and he had just chosen random bits and thrown them together. His hair was a raven black, and looked like someone had just stuck a bowl over his head to cut it, then given him to a chummy sort of guy who would soundly ruffle the mess into a mother's nightmare. His skin was even worse shape, looking like it had never been washed or seen the light of day, smooth and unmarred (with the exception of the mysterious dirt), a small lightening scar sat in plain view on his forehead. His eyes stood out the most to me, the brightest emeralds I'd ever seen, but somehow they looked like they had long been jaded by the world so that they had grown cloudy and dark.

I got the distinct feeling that this boy was not from a family that cared a great deal about him.

The boy said nothing, glancing at me with a scared look in his eyes.

I stared at him, waiting for an answer, though I knew I probably wouldn't get one. The silence that fell wasn't quite uncomfortable, but it was by no standard the type that old friends have. "Why are you here alone? Your family's probably looking for you, probably worried sick."

Worried sick about the loss of their kid. Something my own parents hadn't been the most avid about. I figured that out one day when I'd decided to run away. I was gone for a whole day and they hadn't even _noticed_. The only reason they knew is because one of the house elves had the maid tell them.

"They l-left m-me h-here." A soft voice rasped, as though it had never been used in a long time. "I-I d-d-don't h-have a f-f-family. Everyone always b-brings me b-back."

I looked at him more closely, ignoring his obvious stuttering problem. "What do you mean?"

The boy held out his hand, a small yellowing card lay in his palm.

_Special Sale:Needs a good home; previously used. _


	2. Marble

I blinked with shock. This was one of those 'G.E.M.M.' creatures. But he'd look so much like a real child. "Oh."

"They said I was d-d-defective. That I wasn't f-f-friendly enough." The boy rasped quietly. "L-Levi s-says that it's all that b-brat's f-f-fault, that he sh-should h-have n-never h-have sh-sold m-me to that f-f-fat s-spoiled b-brat."

I hated to ask what they had done to deserve such harsh words from a man who seemed too polite to ever call someone that, but my own morals stopped me from doing so.

"They n-neglected m-me, w-w-hen I-I w-was f-f-first b-born. They n-never c-c-cared en-nough t-to t-teach m-me anyth-thing, I-I only kn-now h-how t-to t-talk b-because I-I'm a g-good l-listtener." Every word the boy spoke was stuttered and pause between each few words, as if it was hard for him to speak aloud the simple thoughts all strung together. "T-They d-d-idn't l-love m-me……T-that's why I-I'm s-so sm-small."

I nodded. I knew where he was coming from, and a soft look appeared in my eyes as I gazed at him. "Hmm."

He looked at me sharply. "I-I d-don't w-want y-your s-sympath-thy."

I looked at him, my eyes as sharp as his own. "I'm not offering it to you."

We sat there like that, staring into each other's eyes, angry with ourselves and at the world for not caring enough to stop spinning and help us. We each blinked, but didn't look away the anger never fading or losing brightness, it was after all what kept us in this world, we didn't want to show them that they were right, that we didn't matter.

It was several moments, and blinks later that he looked away. I nodded my approval, it took guts to stand up to my sharp looks, not many had the courage, or the stupidity to do such things. "What's your name?"

"I-I've b-been c-called m-many th-things. B-But….I-I l-like H-Harry th-the m-most."

I nodded, holding out my hand. "My name is Severus, Harry. Pleased to meet you."

Harry stared at my hand for a moment, as if deciding weather or not I was going to trick him and pull away laughing. Finally, he took my hand and we shook. It was too long of a time that our hands were together, almost more than just an acquaintance shake, and I knew it, but something deep in me, long before lost, wept that the time was too short, that I needed longer to hold on.

"I should be going." I said all too suddenly. Almost out of character, or at least, the character of late that had become hard, and jaded.

Harry looked crestfallen, like I had just betrayed some deep trust he had put in me. And I knew it too. I was leaving. Not too uncommon for him that it hurt a lot, but enough that he still felt that pain that etched deep in his soul, eating away at his very world. Had I been who I once was so long ago, I would have cried, cried for the innocence that had been betrayed by that spoiled brat, by everyone else who kept brining him back.

I stood, digging deep into one of my secret pockets of my robe. "Here."

I held out my hand, closed, palm down. I didn't look at him directly, but I watched him anyway.

Harry looked at me, confused, but held out his hand, hesitantly.

"I want you to do me a favor." I glanced at him and my eyes shone with a child-like determination, something that had long been beaten out of my by the world.

"W-why?" Harry breathed.

"I want you to hold this for me. It's very important, I don't want you to lose it. Okay?" I implored him with my eyes to answer me. "Promise me you won't lose it."

Harry looked back into my eyes; emerald into onyx. "I-I p-promise."

I dropped the simple glass marble into his hands. It would look to anyone like a cheap blue piece of rounded glass that you could find at any muggle 'dollar store' or at any dingy glassware store where I used to buy my vials, way back when I couldn't afford to eat; When I tried to deny my destiny and live away from the truth I had been forced to believe. But this one was different. It was the very first thing I'd ever gotten from someone who'd truly cared about me. Not my money. Not the things my parents knew, or who I was related to. But given because they truly saw who I was, deep inside. They allowed me to hide away the mask for a while and become the exuberant child I should have been.

Author's note:

I only wrote a tiny bit because I'm lazy Yay, but don't worry, I'll make sure the next chapter is OOOOBER long Now, I must go and listen to some new Rammstien songs my sister sent me b'gye ..

P.s. I'd LOOOOVVVEEE some more reviews and what


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